PORTLAND, OR (KPTV) -
The Portland Police Bureau is warning citizens of potential identity theft after an alert visitor at the Portland Saturday Market found a suspicious device attached to an ATM.
The device was found at 10:00 a.m. at the ATM located in the food section near the Burnside Bridge.
FOX 12 spoke with the owner of the ATM he said this is the first time a skimmer has been set up on any of his machines. He said the machines are portable and are removed when not in use.
Police said the skimmer was used to capture unsuspecting user's bank account and PIN information.
Skimming works when a thief places a card reader that looks almost identical over the actual card slot. When a user slides their debit card into the machine, it will pass through both scanners and the thief's device will record the card's data.
In most cases, the thief will use hidden cameras to obtain the PIN.
Police aren't sure how long the device had been attached before it was found Saturday morning.
Vendors at the market said they are disappointed to see someone is targeting their patrons.
Many of the vendors at the market rely on the ATM because they only accept cash. One vendor estimated he watched more than 10 people use the ATM before the discovery was made.
Officer urged people to be vigilant and report suspicious activity or anyone tampering with ATMs. Anyone who may have used the ATM at the Portland Saturday Market is urged to check their bank account for any suspicious activity.
If a person discovers fraudulent activity on their accounts, they are urged to file a police report.
Anyone with information about this ATM skimming or the person responsible for the device is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 503-823-HELP (4357).
Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward of up to $1,000 for information, reported to them, that leads to an arrest in this case or any unsolved felony.
Portland Police ID Theft Resources:
- http://www.portlandonline.com/shared/cfm/image.cfm?id=111520
- http://www.portlandonline.com/police/index.cfm?c=41856
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